Review of Brighton Rock (1948) by Scott W — 28 Feb 2013

For me Richard Attenborough is Santa Claus (as in the remake of Miracle of 34th Street) so feel my doubts about him being Pinkie Brown whom I already know from the 2011 remake of this very film. And although I must admit Sam Riley's version of this great character appealed more to me - Attenborough played him also very well.

He is menacing and callous but also handsome and charming enough to make a young girl fall for him.

This young girl is Rose, a waitress who happens to gets mixed up with Pinkie when she's a kind of witness to one of his murders.

The story fascinated me even more when I saw it the second time and the original is surely not as rushed and disconnected as the remake. The plot is compelling and Pinkie's mind games with the naive Rose are gruesome and you hope for her that she quits him eventually while you're still rooting for Pinkie to get away with his crimes.

This is British noir at its best, at least as good as the better known The Third Man if not better.